Since it was first spotted in Norwegian Arctic waters in 2019, the whale has sparked a range of speculations. This latest development regarding the whale’s death may lead to even more theories.
When first discovered, the whale was wearing a strange harness equipped with a mount for a small camera, with the words “Equipment St. Petersburg” written in English on the plastic straps. This fueled suspicions that the whale was being used by the Russian Navy for espionage purposes.
This is why the whale was named “Hvaldimir,” a name created by combining the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” with the common Russian name “Vladimir.”
Moscow has never officially commented on these speculations.
The whale’s death raises more questions – NGOs stress the importance of immediate police intervention.
Hvaldimir, who was young and healthy according to the biologists monitoring her, was found dead on Saturday off the southwestern coast near Risavika. The whale’s body was transferred on Monday to a local branch of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for an autopsy.
The autopsy results are expected “within the next three weeks,” said a spokesperson for the institute.
“It had multiple gunshot wounds on its body,” Regina Crosby Haug told AFP, stating that she had seen the whale’s body.
Animal rights organizations, NOAH and One Whale, announced that they have filed a complaint with the Norwegian police to launch a “criminal investigation” into the case.
Ms. Crosby Haug leads One Whale, an NGO specifically created to monitor Hvaldimir’s movements, who has become famous in Norway.
“The whale’s injuries are concerning and cannot rule out criminal activity,” emphasized NOAH head Siri Martinsen.
“In light of suspected criminal activity, it is important for the police to intervene quickly,” she added.
A third NGO, Marine Mind, a rival of One Whale, stated that they found Hvaldimir dead on Saturday around 12:30 PM local time.
“Nothing is yet clear about the cause of death,” said marine biologist Sebastian Strand, founder of Marine Mind, to AFP. “We saw marks, but it is too early to say.”
According to him, some of the marks likely came from predatory seabirds, but others remain unexplained at this stage.
Beluga whales typically live much further north, near Greenland or in the waters of the Russian or Norwegian Arctic.
The Barents Sea and the North Atlantic are strategic areas for the navies of both Russia and Western countries, a region that is a common contact zone for their submarines.
